There were 11,406 emergency room visits associated with synthetic marijuana in 2010—75 percent were among the ages of 12-29.
Synthetic marijuana currently holds second place in teenage popularity behind marijuana. Researchers claim the allure is the ill-perceived safety and legality of synthetic marijuana as compared to other drugs, the National Institute on Drug Abuse said in 2013.
Soon after the 2011 FDA ban of synthetic pot, a DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart told Gothamist that "young people are being harmed when they smoke these dangerous ‘fake pot’ products and wrongly equate the products’ ‘legal’ retail availability with being ‘safe.'"
A Think Progress report explains that the use of synthetic marijuana decreased after 2011 in response to health officials warning consumers. Despite of the notice, the drug maintained its relevance amongst young adults, with one in 20 high school students using the drug in 2014, one in 30 during 2013.
Males make up...